dhrmabum

Yeah, well, I'm guessing maybe they improved the bag to meet the new temp requirements. . . My son was sleeping in his Meow this past summer, late Aug. in the shadow of the Sierras, on a very cold night, and was freezing in his bag. True, his bag is a few years old and we were sleeping without a tent, but. . I was in a Marmot 30deg. down and was still warm. Many of the reviews on the bag say about the same thing. Oops! Just looked at REI's page on the bag and the reviews are gone! New bag, new design I guess. The pic of the new bag certainly looks loftier than the old one. Anyway, agree about ground insulation, fo sure.

No, I was responding to Bearbreeder's comparison of bags. . . I do have one synthetic bag, and that is the Northface Cats Meow. A few years old, but used less than a handful of times, virtually new, hardly any loft in it, but I bought it for kayaking trips, etc. when I would be around water. It just doesn't live up to its claim of being a 20deg. bag. Ok, maybe within the first year. I like your, and others, idea of dumping one's moisture into the synthetic. . . I have accomplished this, though only when hiking.

Not bad data, but, that Cat's Meow isn't nearly as warm as either one of those down bags. . . despite what they may claim.

I agree! And St. Helens, gleaming in that late afternoon, low-angle sun. Very nice.

Great shots, Billbob. Good on you for getting out there. I assume that's as high as you went, where you shot the photos from?

So sorry to offend. Truly. Just noticing that you posted this "what's the weather like in May," question this morning on here, while many answered that question for you yesterday, in fact, over on SP, when you were asking your questions. Maybe you hadn't read those answers yet, dunno. . . Carry on.

Dude, wasn't your question already answered over on SP? Just sayin. . . But, TMO, thanks for reiterating the same answer to the guy.

Just heard on the news that there is currently a body recovery operation taking place on Adams. Yikes. No more info than that.

TLine was very good last weekend, even with my late ski down:3:30, or something like that. Might've been later yet. Anyway, good stuff, very fun ski down. I think I read someone's report about their ski down Adams the same weekend. Sounded very good as well.

Shit. I wanted to do that last weekend, but opted for just a dayhike up to below Crater Rock on Hood, and a fantastic ski down. But, would've preferred that oh-so-long run on Adams. Good job!

Well, hopefully the bugs will have died down in a couple of weeks. Last two weeks of Aug. usually equals no bugs in the backcountry. Anyway, thanks again for the beta. Bit worried now about getting a permit. Shit. . . we'll see. Wouldn't mind driving down to Devils' postpile, but, doubt that we'll be ready to go before 7am. Given my slowness,(and we'll probably be heading to Mammoth from Tuolomne), it might be after 7pm. . . But, most likely, the bus.

Yep, I was up there on Sat. the 7th, hiked to just below Crater Rock and had a fantastic ski down. Looked up and the route didn't look half bad. And, reading recent climber's comments on the registration sheets, looks like its still in, though following your early hour ascent is the way to go. Good job.

Good job. Pics are nice. Looks like a great climb in a beautiful area. I used to work on in that area, on the John Muir trail, etc. when I was 19. Young Adult Conservation Corp. One of the best summers of my life. Love the area. I'm hoping to head to that area in a couple of weeks with my son, and climb Ritter via the class3 route, along with a general pack on the loop, Minaret Lake to Ediza, etc. I'm wondering, where did/do you park your car to catch the shuttle? Thanks.

Yeah, how much, if I may ask?

Naked with another member of the opposite sex(for me, anyway), also naked, to warm ya up!

Well, I don't believe the lifts start running til 8:00 am. Then add climbing time up, puts you up there a bit late, I'd say. Of course, depends so much on conditions, which, if I remember the recent forecast, don't bode well for next week, though it depends on the day. . . Welcome to the Cascades in Spring!

I'd say,(though it's been years since I've been there, and can't remember what the winter snowpack was like), that the trail should most likely be snowfree, though there could be a lot of snow around Lake Ediza, given the snowpack this year. Hope that makes sense.

Hey, I know this is a little late, but, are you still heading down to climb Shasta? Need a partner or two? My friend and I, both novices but with a little experience, ie. have climbed Hood and Adams, he's a proficient rock climber, are thinking of heading down. Just wondered if you're still going, and looking for partners/ driving or otherwise. . . Thanks, don

Well, Malcom's answer is correct: columnar basalt. Similar or the same, to what you'd find at Devils Postpile, located near Mammoth Lakes on the eastside of the Sierra. Good stuff. Pooled up lava, cooled,contracting, jointing, etc. All geological terms. Don't know if you happened to explore the formation in your pic, but, at Devils Postpile, the top of the formation is smooth like glass, polished so by passing glaciers. Very cool stuff. A copy and paste: The lava cools and cracks reach deep into the formation As the lava flow ceased, the molten rock began cooling into solid rock. Shallow parts of the lava flow would have solidified first, with deeper parts of the lava lake requiring much more time to release the massive amount of stored thermal energy. As the lava lake cooled and solidified from a molten soup to solid rock it began to contract. Contraction stresses developed because the cool solid form of basalt has a lesser volume than the hot liquid form. Cracks, also called joints by geologists, began to form. Jointing releases internal stress created by the cooling and associated contraction. In some locations, such as at the Devils Postpile, the jointing formed columns. Jointing would have begun at the top, bottom and all around the edges of the lava lake where the lava made direct contact with a cooler surface. The cracks would have extended inwards over time as the more insulated locations within the lava lake finally released enough thermal energy to change from a liquid to a solid state.

Wow, yeah, I heard today that the guy down the street wants to climb it as well. Didn't mention his experience, but he's lookin' for partners and wants to leave soon! Maybe I should get his phone# for you guys. . .

Very nice. Early spring climbing in Yosemite. Excellent.

Hey guys. I've heard nothing but positive about the Variant. I'm leaning toward the 52, but, and I know this is a bit of a dumb query, but, should I consider the 37 for any reason? That being more of just a day pack? Already have the Osprey Atmos 50, but I think the Variant would be better for climbing, carrying skis, and just better all-around. Thanks.

Uh, yeah, I think it's that time.

Back up to Denali? for fun? Lucky guy. I'm thinking I'll take my son in the next couple of years. Hike in Denali and maybe kayak some down around Katchemak bay. Yeah, who'd a thunk it? Ever listen to Greg Brown?

Ya, ya, I'll see ya up high. . .